WhatsApp Gateway API - Frequently Asked Questions

Question: I wanted to send myself a message. But even after I ran the sample code, I didn't receive anything. Why?

The most common cause is that you forgot to pre-register your number with the gateway. Do the following to register:

Add the gateway's number (i.e. the secret number) to your phone's contact.

Open WhatsApp on your iPhone / Android phone.

Send a "Hi" message to the gateway from your phone's WhatsApp.

Expect a confirmation message from the gateway.

Watch the following video to understand how the gateway works:

Question: I have just made a subscription. Where's my CLIENT_ID / CLIENT_SECRET?

After you pay for the subscription, you should receive an email that contains your personalized
CLIENT ID and CLIENT SECRET. If you don't receive the email, just contact us with your PayPal transaction ID.

Now, follow the language-specific instructions to send your first message:

This video demonstrates what you need to do to send your first message:

Question: Can I send messages to people who have not pre-registered with the gateway?

No. This is by design. The goal is to prevent spamming.

Imagine this: When you receive an unsolicited message from a person not in your contact list, what would you do? You would probably get angry and report it to WhatsApp as SPAM. Makes sense?

Now, if you were allowed to send messages to anyone without pre-registration, the recipients of your message (i.e. your customers) would very likely do the same thing, i.e. get angry and report your message as SPAM. You don't want to make your customers
angry, do you? That's why pre-registration is required.

Question: Can I register in my native language?

Yes, in some cases.

If you speak English, you and your users register with the gateway by sending a "Hi" message to the gateway.

Yes! We have implemented this new functionality recently. The WhatsApp gateway now supports the sending of images as well.

Question: Can I send messages to a WhatsApp group?

Yes! We have added this new REST API to allow you to send messages to a WhatsApp group.

Question: I ran my program to send myself a message but nothing happened. Why?

Make sure you have already registered with the gateway. Refer to the answer to the very first question for more details.

If you have already registered, make sure you specify the correct destination number (i.e. your own WhatsApp number including the country code) in your source code.

If you have checked all the above, give it some time because it can take up to 10 minutes for the gateway to process the messages in the queue.

Question: Will the gateway be banned/blocked by WhatsApp?

It is possible. Although we make every effort to prevent spamming (which will surely cause our service to be banned), there's still a chance that WhatsApp can block our gateway for no reason. If that happens, our gateway will stop working immediately.

Question: What can I do to help minimize the possibility of getting the gateway banned by WhatsApp?

We are glad that you asked. You can help us by NOT sending too many messages too often. We are on the same boat after all. If the boat sinks, all of us drown.

Question: The gateway worked for me last week. But I can't get my messages out now. Why?

As mentioned above, the gateway might have been blocked and we may have switched to a new gateway number. Contact us for more details if it happens to you.

Question: I just need a way to send out instant notifications. What's your recommendation?

Given the possibility that WhatsApp may ban our gateway's number for no reason, we recommend our users consider switching to Telegram (it's another instant messaging technology. Just like WhatsApp. But it's more reliable and powerful.). When you do, our
Telegram Gateway API will be able to help you.

Question: I am on an Auto-Renew subscription plan. Can I cancel my subscription?

Yes, please contact us with your Client ID.

Question: I sent in an inquiry via the Contact-us form. But I never receive a reply. Why?

We respond to all inquiries. If you don't receive a reply within 24 hours, it's likely that you might have left a wrong email address. Send in your inquiry again with a correct email address.